PHOTO BY KATALIN VERMES / LIONSGATE

It is difficult to understand how anyone thought that “Borderlands” was a good idea.

While the much maligned video-game adaptations genre has finally emerged with a handful of hits, it remains very difficult to capture the spirit of a hit game in a movie. It is also famously difficult to capture an audience, as even games with diehard followings often cannot lure their players into the cinema.

Anyone remember the “Warcraft” movie? Me neither.

In any case, the post-apocalyptic setting and humor of the first-person shooter series “Borderlands” might well have translated to an R-rated throwback action flick — a marriage of “Deadpool”-style cheekiness and Jean-Claude Van Damme style plotting could’ve worked.

Instead, we have a drab prestige actioner stocked with Oscar winners.

Again: why did anyone think this would work?

Cate Blanchett plays bounty hunter Lilith, who’s compelled to rescue the wayward daughter (Ariana Greenblatt) of a Musk-esque CEO (Edgar Ramírez). She travels to the planet Pandora — no relation to the “Avatar” series, unfortunately — where a rogue’s gallery of treasure hunters are searching for a mythical vault containing ancient alien technology.

Lilith will swiftly find her pint-sized charge, but inevitably realizes that her dad is up to no good. After linking up with an AWOL soldier (Kevin Hart), an irritating robot (Jack Black), an old friend (Jamie Lee Curtis) and a guy who’s just kind of big (Florian Munteanu), they’ll fight the bad guys and search for the fabled treasure.

You know: Just like every other forgettable science fiction jaunt.

What little humor there is mostly comes from Black, who desperately tries to make his character charming in spite of the script (more than 10 writers were involved, at least one of whom removed his name from the project). Blanchett and Curtis make some effort, but they’re given so little to do that even moments of depth feel hollow. Even the effects, which should’ve been impressive given the film’s $120 million budget, look flat and unconvincing.

Director Eli Roth, who may or may not have left the project sometime during its multi-year series of reshoots and delays, can work wonders with a small budget, as was the case in last year’s fun slasher “Thanksgiving.” He’s clearly unsure how to handle a green-screen fiesta such as this, however, particularly when the story is useless. “Borderlands” went through years of studio nudging en route to this weekend’s release; shockingly, it probably could’ve used even more.

My Rating: 2/10

“Borderlands” is now playing in theaters.